DFA hopes Egypt, Israel will agree on safe exit of foreign nationals By GMA Integrated News

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it is hoping that Egypt and Israel will agree to the safe exit of foreign nationals amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. According to Vonne Aquino's report on "24 Oras" on Sunday, the Philippine Embassy in Cairo aims to pick up Filipinos at Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border for their safe exit. "We are hoping that the international communities diplomatic efforts to get Egypt and Israel to agree on safe exit of foreign citizens from Gaza can be successful as soon as possible," said DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega. Israel on Saturday warned Gaza residents to get out of the northern Gaza Strip before an expected large-scale ground offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which unleashed its biggest attack on Israel a week earlier. Israel responded with its heaviest bombardment of Gaza ever. DFA said there are no Filipinos in Gaza City and northern Gaza, but about thirty Filipinos in other parts of Gaza have not yet decided to cross to Egypt, due to having Palestinian spouses and children. Aside from Gaza, seventeen Filipinos in Israel are expected to return home on October 18. DFA said three more Filipinos are still missing, and three have been killed. According to reports from Reuters, the checkpoint between Egypt and Rafah is the only route out of Gaza that is not under Israeli control. Egypt officially says its side is open, but traffic has been halted for days because of Israeli strikes. Egyptian security sources said the Egyptian side is being reinforced, and Cairo has no intention of accepting a mass influx of refugees. Moreover, Agence France-Presse on Sunday said witnesses said concrete blocks installed by the Egyptians to fortify the border following Israel's bombings were still in place, suggesting that no passage was being considered in the immediate future. Meanwhile, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Arnell Ignacio said the fate of Filipinos in Gaza is still in the hands of the Israeli government. According to a Super Radyo dzBB report, Ignacio said the Philippines, especially OWWA, is willing to handle the repatriation expenses. However, the country still needs help from the Israeli forces in finding safe passage for the Filipinos. — Sherylin Untalan with reports from Reuters and Agence France-Presse/BM, GMA Integrated News

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